FERNWOOD FITNESS - PULSE eMagazine - Issue#16 - Flipbook - Page 38
SLEEP
Menopause
and Sleep
Why it suddenly feels harder to switch off
BY SLEEP HEALTH FOUNDATION
If you are 昀椀nding
sleep trickier
during peri or post
menopause, you
are far from alone.
Around 40 to 60 percent
of women experience
sleep disturbance
during this life stage,
which is higher than in
pre menopause. The
complaints are usually
familiar: trouble falling
asleep, waking through
the night, or waking too
early and not being able
to drift back off.
So what is going on?
Why sleep can go
sideways during peri and
post menopause
Sleep disturbance
during the menopause
transition is often a mix
of factors rather than one
single cause. Common
contributors include:
• Hormonal changes
• Other sleep related
problems, such as
higher rates of sleep
apnoea, restless
legs syndrome, and
circadian rhythm
changes
• Vasomotor symptoms,
including hot 昀氀ushes
and night sweats
• Life stress, like 昀椀nancial
pressures, caring roles,
and job stress
• Mood changes,
including depression
and anxiety
In other words, it is
not just “in your head”,
and it is not always just
hormones either.
Hot 昀氀ushes and night
sweats: the classic sleep
disruptors
During the menopause
transition, hormone levels
change. Around 36 to
87 percent of women
experience hot 昀氀ushes
and night sweats.
While the biological
cause of a hot 昀氀ush is
